Bio of TDR

TDR is a working professional in entertainment and is obsessed with the game of hockey. More four years ago, this site emerged as a means (or an outlet) to tell some truth'isms about the game post-lockout, rather than the crud fed to us through knuckleheads like Jimmy Dolan and his lemmings universe. Today, there are a hundred Rangers sites and is thankful and grateful to all those that have come after him, but honorable thanks go to his fellow Dark-writers, Graying Mantis and J_Undisputed. And "Let's Go Rangers!"

Bio of Graying Mantis

Graying Mantis is in fact a graying legal practitioner by day (and sometimes, alas, by night). In the cobwebs of his memory, he recalls starting to follow the Blueshirts in 1970 and remembers watching pivotal playoff games against the Blackhawks on a snow-covered Hartford t.v. channel in their 1972 march to the Finals. Giacomin, Gilbert, Ratelle, and Hadfield seen skating on a small B&W TV screens always will be among his first Ranger memories. He is grateful beyond words for the opportunity to work with his colleagues here in their never ending battle to inform and entertain. Most of all, he appreciates the chance to engage with fellow hockey fans.

Bio of J_Undisputed

"J_Undisputed is an Information Tech Professional; a student, and on and off in his dreams, Mike Richter. He caught his first glimpse of Rangers Hockey when an overtime preempted his favorite pro wrestling broadcast on WWOR-9 one late saturday night when he was 5 and he's been hooked ever since. He's been watching the Rangers for 30 years despite family attempts to make him an Islander Fan (Rest easy...they're out of the will). What started as a minor annoyance has become a life long passion (and at times, a frustration...But he wouldn't trade it for anything). Lets Go Rangers!"

Bio of General Ganz

General Ganz is a cynical yet well-informed student of the human spirit. He's a professional of sorts, with a post-graduate education, some experience working in real companies, and some limited athletic ability. The total small package. He got picked on a fair bit as a kid, and he experienced his first human-non-relation kiss in his teens. He also grew up on the other side of the tracks, thereby helping to cultivate a healthy contempt for dreamers and optimists whose rosy upbringing gave them something to smile about, even when "life produced lemons." Like it or not, his only mission is to point out the potholes you're lucky enough to miss on your drive to work. To find the blemish on your daughter's carefully-stitched (and not-yet-paid-for) wedding dress. To take that little smidgen of hope that your favorite hockey teams fill you with, and pour orange paint on it. Oh, and he is a Blueshirts fan, and takes most of his fashion direction from Ron Duguay (whose name he dropped as a way to close the deal on that first kiss).

Saturday, October 17, 2009

The red-hot Rangers brought a complete game to the Air Canada Centre tonight against the ailing and sorry-ass Leafs, leaving the building with another dominating performance against the league-wide and Ontarian city-wide embarrassed Toronto franchise. Leaf fans finishing their sushi platters only realized this with five minutes left in the third period, as the polite folks of Ontario proceeded to 'boo' their own team. (and you cannot blame them having paid $250 dollars for a 300 section seat). So for the Rangers - that makes seven wins in a row, a first place team in the league and, most importantly, another blow to Brian Burke's Bionic Magnum Opus.

The irony of it all. Listen, I am not buying into the hype of our Blueshirts being unstoppable -- they played strong and as-they-were-told-to-by-Torts, but the irony of how during the off-season the Leafs were to become the team it was always destined to be, almost crowned a playoff-contender by blowhard'ing Brian Burke; on the flip side during the same off-season, the Rangers and GM Glen Sather were horribly criticized having done a terrible job paying for the injury prone Gaborik (knock on wood) and re-vamping the team, generally ranking the pre-season Blueshirts somewhere in the low 20's, missing the playoffs and many players (mostly Sean Avery) unable and unwilling to adapt to a coach Torts system. It's a long season, but how wrong they were.

To some degree, I think even Burkie was buying into all his own verbal swill. Remember the pre-season quotes?

The Star, June 24, 2009, before the season begins:

General Manager Brian Burke is about to begin remaking the Toronto Maple Leafs and will use every tool in his arsenal – draft picks, salary cap space and trades – to build a team that will hit and fight. "Our goal is to make the playoffs next year, we're going to have to make some changes to do it," Burke said yesterday. "We're going to be a different team. I like a lot of hitting. I like a lot of fighting. It will be a more hostile group in the fall."

It appears the only hostile group right now are the fans. The above quotes cracked me up re-reading them, because the The Leafs that we beat twice now were completely non-physical, with the exception of a taunting (very sad in dark blue) Colton Orr getting refused by a largely well skating Donald Brashear. Burke was right in that these Leafs are very different - they look worse than they ever have - far from playoff contender and, truthfully, a creation of the man that created them - a Burkie Frankenstein hockey team. It could be said that various limbs have been sewn together through free-agency and trading to create a 'hitting and fighting team, just one without any support on the blueline and missing a goaltender resembling elite status. This 'Burkie form of the Leafs' just doesn't have enough weapons, they don't get enough shots on net, they can't finish a play and they gave up too many opportunities. With the exception of our Lundqvist in net, I very well could have been describing the New York Rangers of last season. Again...how ironic.

If you tuned in to Leafs Nation during the game, you could count on both hands how many times broadcasters mentioned how Phil Kessel in November will supposedly turn around this shabby franchise, one of the many reasons why they haven't performed and fully justifying why Burke-brain gave away all their draft picks for years to come. One word comes to mind. Jackass.

So back to the Rangers.

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT RANGERS FANS? I couldn't be happier -- not only for the standings, SEVEN WINS, but mostly because of the possibilities of this team. The defensive corp continues to impress, scoring goals and controlling the neutral zone.

Brandon Dubinsky had a goal and an assist. Marc Staal, Michael Del Zotto and Enver Lisin also had goals for the Rangers (7-1-0). Marian Gaborik added two assists to give him points in all eight games he's played since joining New York over the summer. Henrik Lundqvist remains a rock in goal -- The KING made 34 saves and continues to demonstrate elite status in the league.

I enjoyed the game thoroughly -- and I felt that the Blueshirts mostly controlled the pace of the game throughout. This was not the Blueshirts that opened the new season, and if not addressed by the Torts machine we could be headed in the wrong direction (i.e. losses) -- but I suspect Tortorella is aware that we allowed the Leafs to build some confidence in this game. In the end, two points is two points. The Rangers won and they earned it.
I will add that there have been too many opposing rushes at our prize goaltender, Henrik Lundqvist, and one of these games someone will damage The King -- there has been virtually no retaliation for hitting or running into Henrik over the last four games -- and maybe it's time for our newbie 'D'-men to grease up their knuckles and show more than their ability to score goals. It's time for some PIM's.

MAKE THEM PAY WHEN THIS HANDLE YOUR GOALKEEPER!

Monday night will be a different level of game against the San Jose Sharks. The West Meets The East, as we attempt to continue the winning streak against the projected Stanley Cup winners.

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